PetSafe PIF00-12917 Stay And Play Wireless Fence Review

The PetSafe PIF00-12917 Stay And Play Wireless Fence is the newest wireless dog fence from PetSafe. A step up from its predecessor, the PIF-300, among other things it offers a larger coverage area, a rechargeable collar and it’s safe and effective for smaller dogs.

With no wires to bury, you’ll enjoy a quick hassle free installation that will have your fence up and running in less than an hour. And the Stay and Play offers complete portability which means that you can use it to contain your dog anywhere, anytime!

PetSafe has been around since 1991 and they are committed to providing you with the best possible products for your pets. Time and again the reviews mention their excellent customer service and willingness to go above and beyond to make their customers happy.

PetSafe PIF00-12917 Stay and Play Wireless Fence

The Stay and Play PIF00-12917 is one of PetSafe’s mainstay wireless DIY dog fences.

Here’s a rundown of what it has to offer:

5 levels of static correction plus a beep only mode for training

A rechargeable receiver collar

Can be used on dogs 5 lbs and up

Will contain an unlimited number of dogs providing they each have their own receiver collar

Boundary can be adjusted from a minimum diameter of about 44 ft to a maximum of about 210 ft — roughly 3/4 of an acre

Containment area can be expanded to about 1.5 acres with the purchase of an additional transmitter

Low battery warning

Over Correction Protection guarantees that your dog will never receive a static correction for longer than 15 seconds

Completely portable

Alarms to indicate when your system has lost power and when your transmitter has stopped working

Excellent customer service

With the exception of a screwdriver, pretty much everything you need to set up this PetSafe wireless dog fence comes in the box. Here’s what you get:

Wireless transmitter with power adapter

Receiver collar with rechargeable battery

Charging adapter — can charge 2 collars at once

Short and long contact points

Contact point wrench

Test Light Tool

50 boundary training flags

Operating and Training Guide

In addition to that, PetSafe covers all their fences with a limited lifetime warranty which means that your fence is fully covered for the first year. After that you get a deep discount on any repairs or replacement parts for the lifetime of your fence.

First Impressions Of This PetSafe Wireless Dog Fence

The Stay + Play Wireless Fence definitely offers significant improvements over the PIF-300. Designed with convenience in mind, it has a smaller transmitter and a rechargeable collar that’s small enough to be comfortable on dogs as tiny as 5 lbs.

On top of that you get a system that can accommodate an unlimited number of dogs, has multiple compatible collars and is completely portable. When you add it all up, the Stay and Play is a solid reliable wireless pet fence that’s definitely worth a long hard look.

What Dog Lovers Have To Say

Without a doubt two of the most loved features of the 12917 are its quick easy set up and the fact that it’s a portable dog fence.

Time and again users said that you just can’t beat being able to throw this fence into your vehicle and use it to provide a safe and effective containment area for your pooch no matter where your travels take you.

Other things dog lovers especially liked:

Rechargeable receiver collar

The collar is small and light enough to be comfortable for dogs as tiny as 5 lbs

Can accommodate an unlimited number of dogs providing they each have their own receiver collar

You can set the static correction level on each individual collar to match each dog’s size and temperament

Over Correction Protection

Low battery warning light

Very low ongoing maintenance

Completely portable

Excellent customer service

But like any product, the Stay and Play is not without its issues.

What some dog lovers didn’t like:

Fluctuating boundary line

Random shocks (infrequent)

Issues with the receiver collar (few and far between)

Despite some minor concerns, the vast majority of dog lovers who followed the clear instructions outlined in the manual were completely satisfied with their purchase.

Installation Details For The Stay And Play Wireless Fence

As with any wireless pet containment system, setting up the PetSafe PIF00-12917 is a cinch. You just plug in the transmitter, set your boundaries, fit your pet’s receiver collar and you’re off to the races.

The manual explains how to find the ideal location for your transmitter and once that’s done setting it up is a snap.

There’s no on/off switch but once you plug it in a solid blue light on the front of the transmitter tells you that you’re powered up and everything’s OK.

An indicator light is an important feature to look for in a pet fence because it tells you that everything is working before you open the door and let your dog out. And with this wireless fence transmitter, one peek will tell you everything you need to know.

From there you only have 2 controls to set:

Boundary Switch: Controls the strength of the signal and is set according to how large you want your coverage area to be.

Boundary Control Dial: This is used to fine tune the size of your circular containment area.

There’s a handy reference chart in the manual that will help you determine where to set the boundary switch and boundary control dial in order to get just the right size containment area for your dog.

And that’s it — adjust 2 controls and you’re ready to go. It just doesn’t get any easier than this PetSafe instant fence!

It’s also worth noting that the Stay and Play’s transmitter has a couple of alarms that you won’t find on the PIF-300:

Power Loss alarm: Audible alarm that sounds intermittently and will continue for up to 30 minutes in the event of a power loss to your transmitter.

If you’d like to see the Stay and Play set up in action check out this video:

How To Use The Stay and Play PetSafe Wireless Fence Collar

The PIF00-12918 receiver collar comes standard with the Stay and Play and fits neck sizes of 6″-23″.

The collar weighs in at about 2.9 oz and its receiver unit measures 1.5″ long X 1.3″ tall X 2.5″ wide. How light it is and how small the receiver unit is are the two things that ensure this electronic dog collar is comfortable for dogs as tiny as 5 lbs.

Although it’s OK to get the 12918 collar wet, submerging it for any length of time can damage it. So if you have one of those lovable canines who likes to dive after things, it’s best to take the collar off before they go into the water.

Without a doubt one of the things people love most about this wireless dog collar is that it’s rechargeable. Charging the collar is straight forward and here’s what the reviews have to say about the charging process:

It takes about 2-3 hrs to fully charge the collar

The charge lasts about 3 weeks on average, depending on how often the collar is activated

The mode button turns the collar on or off and it’s also the button you’ll use to set your dog’s level of static correction. Turning the collar off when it’s not in use will preserve the life of the battery.

Once the collar is turned on there’s an indicator light that will let you know the status of your battery. An indicator light is an essential feature on a receiver collar because it tells you, at a glance, how much juice your battery has.

With the PetSafe Stay and Play collar you’ll know just by the color of the light whether or not your dog’s receiver collar is good to go or needs recharging. If the battery does need to be recharged this light acts as a low battery warning and flashes red.

As long as each dog has their own collar, the Stay and Play wireless system can accommodate an unlimited number of dogs. And if you have more than one dog you won’t necessarily need to buy an extra charger because the charging adapter allows you to charge 2 collars at once.

The 12918 receiver collar is made out of durable nylon material and the receiver unit is a ‘pass through’ type. That’s a really nice feature because it means that when the material wears out you don’t have to spend a lot of money on a completely new collar; you simply transfer the receiver unit onto any non metallic collar of your choosing, as long as it’s at least 3/4″ wide.

Out of the box your dog’s receiver collar is fitted with 1/2″ stainless steel contact points but if your dog is of the extra furry variety this fence kit also comes with 3/4″ contact points and a little tool to help change them.

In addition to the beep only training mode the Stay + Play’s receiver collar has 5 adjustable levels of static correction.

The mode button you use to set your desired level of static correction level is located on the inside of the collar between the metal contact points. It’s a bit of a pain to get to but its out of the way location means that there’s little chance that the correction level will inadvertently get changed once you’ve set it.

The level of static correction you choose depends on your dog’s temperament and there’s a handy chart in the manual that helps you figure out which setting is right for your canine buddy.

One more important feature I want to mention is the Over Correction Protection. This feature guarantees that, on the off chance that your dog does escape the yard, the static correction won’t go on indefinitely but will automatically shut off after 15 seconds.

Tip: Keep in mind that this is the same charging adapter that comes with your fence kit and it can charge 2 collars at once, so you’ll only need to purchase a second charger if you need more than 2 collars.

Boundary Flags – RFA-2: According to the manufacturer 50 flags should be enough to cover about 3/4 acre.

If you need to extend your dog’s containment area beyond 3/4 of an acre, in addition to an extra PetSafe transmitter you’ll also need more flags for the training process. Each bundle of 50 flags will give you about 3/4 of an acre of coverage.

Tip: Ordering additional flags when you purchase your fence is convenient but a number of people said that they were able to find flags at their local lawn and garden store that worked just as well and were a bit cheaper.

Collar Accessory Kit – RFA-454: From time to time you may need to replace some of the parts on your dog’s receiver collar. Although there are other collar accessory kits available, the RFA-454 is the one you want for the Stay and Play because it’s the only one that contains everything you need to replace both the metal contact points and the charger port cover.

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